Judge approves VW diesel V-6 settlement, last major piece of scandal

The Volkswagen diesel cheating saga has closed another chapter as a U.S. judge approved a proposed settlement for V-6 powered vehicles, the final major U.S. piece of the entire scandal.

In total, Volkswagen will pay $1.22 billion, both in settlements to owners and to cover the cost of modifying or buying back 88,500 3.0-liter V-6 TDI powered vehicles in the United States, reports Reuters.

The 3.0-liter diesel V-6 engines are found in Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche vehicles.

The settlement is split into two portions, which coordinate with either the first or second generation V-6 diesel engines used in the affected vehicles.

Generation One is the unit used during the 2009-2012 model years—they are the dirtiest of the bunch. Like earlier 4-cylinder diesels from VW, these engines cannot be updated to meet their original EPA and CARB emission limits entirely.

Owners will have the option either to pursue a buy-back, a trade-in, or have a modification (approved by the EPA and CARB) carried out to bring the vehicle closer to compliance.

Monetary compensation ranges between $7,755 to $13,880 for the first-generation engines.

If the pattern holds from the earlier cars, most of these vehicles will be sold back to Volkswagen and Audi.

Generation Two engines are defined as those used during the 2013 through 2016 model years, and regulators believe these can be completely modified to bring NOx levels back within original certification standards.